Tonight's Log is dedicated to Ben and is our memorial service on Golden Bear: 

                                                            USTS Golden Bear

            june 14, 2007

UNited states training ship golden bear

Benjamin Harper Daviscourt memorial

Born, JanUARY 16, 1986, passed June 2, 2007

 

Latitude:   15 DEGREES 50 MINUTES NORTH

Longitude:  152 DEGREES 17 MINUTES east 

enroute Guam to Honolulu, HAWAII

 

“they that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters, these see the works of the lord and his wonders on the deep”

 thank you all for coming this evening to join in the celebration of the life of ben daviscourt.  ben was a religious person and i plan to use some passages from his faith in the memorial as i feel it is the how ben would want us to honor his memory.  it is not my intent to offend anyone of any other faith.

 I know of ben mostly through stories that i have been told by his friendS and family, but i did share a day with ben in Vietnam where he was spending his time to make life a little better for the  deaf orphans of the village of hope school.  I also know that ben  had found a new peaCe in the bible and his friends who he shared this passion with.  Ben had a youthful exuberance for enjoying all things and people around him.  this is clearly illUstRated by his many friends.  as ben’s sister said, “in our house, when ben was home, things just stopped, and the world revolved around ben”

 as requested by ben’s many friends, i will read the following eulogy on their behalf:

anyone who knew ben daviscourt knew that there were a few things that he lived for and that made him who he was.  some of these included riding through deep powder, jammin’ on his guitar, and pumping iron.  Ben was always up for a challenge, whether it be physical or mental.  he was always looking for the next peak to conquer.  in his travels with us to ports across the oceans, ben would scan the horizon, search for the highest point and say, “I want to go there!”  and he would go. 

 one unforgettable thing about ben is his unfadable smile that seemed to never leave his face.  ben was a person that brought light to all situations and if you spent time with him he made sure that your smile was as big as his own.  we were all amazed by the strength, commitment, and dedication that ben had to his family, friends, school, the gym, and his constant mental battle to stay sober.  one thing that ben’s father wanted each one of us to know was what a great role model he was, as well as a leader amongst his friends and those around him.  we should all remember ben for who he was, what he lived for, and the positive effect that he had on everyone.  we owe it to ben to continue living out each day of our lives as though they were the last and seek to experience everything within our reach. 

 

CALL FORWARD: 

rADM. fRANK jOHNSTON,

cADET SEAN DIAZ

CADET DAN PADILLA

CADET KONRAD BRUESEHOFF

cadet samir mirani

 

i now want to read a passage that to me does a good job of offering insight to where ben has been, where ben was, and what the future has to offer ben:

 

psalm 23

 

the lord is my shepherd,   i shall not want.

he maketh me to lie down in green pastures,

he leadeth me beside still waters.

He restoreth my sOUL:  he leadeth me in the path of righteousness for his name’S sake.

yea thou I walk through the valley of the shadow death,  will fear no evil:  for thou art with me , thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.

thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:  thou anoiNtest my head with oil:  my cup runneth over.

surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,:  and I will dwell in the house of the lord forever.

 

  

BEN’S TWO FEET STOOD ON THESE DECKS THAT WE NOW STAND ON AND SAILED THIS OCEAN THAT WE NOW SAIL ON.  HE IS OUR SHIPMATE AND A SHIPMATE OF THOSE WHO PROCEEDED HIM ON THESE DECKS AND THOSE WHO WILL FOLLOW.  HE WILL BE IN THE COMPANY OF HIS SHIPMATES NOW AND FOREVER.

 

Music:  “for those in peril on the sea”

            The national ensign is lowered  

CLOSING: 

O LORD SUPPORT US ALL THE DAY LONG, UNTIL THE SHADOWS LENGHTHEN AND THE EVENING COMES AND THE BUSY WORLD IS HUSHED, AND THE FEVER OF LIFE IS OVER, AND OUR WORK IS DONE.

 THEN, GRANT US A SAFE LODGING, AND A HOLY REST, AND PEACE AT THE LAST.

 

EIGHT BELLS:

 

            PA:  BENJAMIN HARPER DAVISCOURT--------DEPARTING

            FLOWER WREATH IS SET ADRIFT